2013 marks 40 years in business for our Ventura, California-based outdoor clothing company. To celebrate, the good folks at New Belgium Brewing crafted a special lager beer made in the "California Common" tradition - tawny in color, medium bodied, with a malty character and earthy hops. Staying true to Patagonia's longstanding commitment to organic cotton, the beer is brewed with certified organic ingredients.

Fun fact: a recent study found that lager yeast originated in the Patagonia region of southern Argentina, in beech forests where the year-round climate is quite cool. Dubbed Saccharomyces eubayanus, it's perfectly acclimated to the cool temps in which brewmasters ferment their lagers. And while lager beer is said to have originated in Bavarian cellars, native Patagonians made their own fermented beverage with the same yeast back in the day.

The name of our beer pays homage to the California Route on Patagonia's Mount Fitz Roy. First climbed in 1968 by Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Dick Dorworth, Lito Tejada-Flores and Chris Jones, the California Route is considered a Patagonia classic, with good rock and fun free climbing in a wildly beautiful setting.

Reviews by Lemke10:

This pours a hazy, yellow color with a foamy, off-white head. The aroma has a slightly bitter tone with hints of yeast. The taste is a smooth, mellow lager taste this well balanced in hops and malts. This isn’t anything that will wow you, but it is very drinkable and well made.

More User Reviews:

Poured from a 12 oz. can into a New Belgium Globe glass. Date on can is March 23, 2014.

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden orange with a moderate amount of bubbles. About one finger of white head that settles into a thin patchy layer. Leaves a decent amount of lacing.

Smell: A crisp, zesty, and balanced aroma with nice hints of biscuit and earthy hops. Pale malt with hints of biscuit, grains, yeast, straw, caramel, and cracker. Surprisingly strong hop presence with good earthy, floral, and citrus aroma. Hints of grass and slight pine. Citrus hints of orange and lemon zest. A very solid and well balanced lager aroma.

Taste: Like the smell, a crisp and zesty well balanced lager taste with good biscuit notes and a strong hop balance. Bready pale malt with notes of biscuit, grains, straw, yeast, crackers, and caramel. A very solid hop balance with floral, earthy, and citrus notes. Grassy taste along with some pine. Citrus hop notes of orange peel and lemons. A very nice zesty taste.

The California Route is a good easy drinking beer that has just enough to give it some good flavor...its almost a lighter version of Fat Tire. The beer pours a hazy yellow with white head that is leaving a lace. The smell is faint and carries a light belgian flare. The taste is a well balanced beer that is slightly sweet. There is a hop that provides a subtle pine flare. The mouthfeel is lighter in body with smooth carbonation. Overall this is a very nice sessionalble lager. Good job NB!!!

12 oz can poured into a New Belgium globe.5.5% ABV, 23 MAR 2014 on bottom of can.

A - Fine particles haze this unfiltered beer, casting a gently cloudiness through the well-carbonated golden beer. A vigorous pour from the can caps the beer with peaks of rocky off-white head that decorates the globe in a smattering of wispy lace.

S - Woodsy, rustic hops present a California-like aroma while giving the Patagonia beer the outdoorsy nose it needs. Hints of pine needle and grass are reminiscent of camping and play well to the faintly ale-like nose this lager carries; smooth malt with suggestions of sweetness but pretty clean overall.

T - Initially simple, California Route has a base of smooth pale malt complimented by an earthy hop finish. As the journey progresses, sweet, doughy bread notes open up with a tickle of toasted white bread crusts and the hops begin to flourish with more, introducing grass and pine on the back end.

M - Carbonation quickly tickles the tongue as the beer enters the mouth but it's fuller-feeling body has a slightly heavy feel, mid gulp, as the beer's aroma and flavor lend themselves to it being a lighter perceived body. Nice hop balance gives the beer a snap of dry bitterness though, which really helps cut the bigger body back.

O - California Route is brewed in the California Common style, calling itself a lager but, the les crisp, clean beer has an all around ale feel that's inescapable. Hop forward, the earthy tones lend themselves well to the Patagonia name and are backed nicely by an almost bready malt backbone but the beer's relatively fuller feel, even cut by the dry hoppier finish, renders it somewhat burdensome to kick back if you're looking for something thirst-quenching. In the end it's a good beer but

A: 1 finger white head and a bright golden orange color and good lacing.

N: Earthy hop aromas dominate the nose with some subtle notes of fruit and malt.

T: Confirms nose. A crisp, medium-bodied lager with an earthy finish of medium length. It is really rather medium, which is what the "California Common" style should be. In New Belgium fashion, they utilize the pale malt to act as a platform for the hops to shine.

O: I enjoyed this beer. I think they hit the typicity and expectations for the style. Also, the can design and tie-in with Patagonia is pretty tight.

12 fl oz. can, with best by date March 23, 2014 printed on the bottom of the can. A new beer to me from New Belgium Brewing, acquired at the local Binny's as part of a mixed six pack. Expectations are fairly decent, this isn't a style I am too familiar with, but I have faith in New Belgium.

Poured into a clear balloon snifter.

A - Pours a nice fluffy two and a half finger head of white foam with good staying power, that leaves nice fat rings of lace. Body is a bright lemony orange color with a slight chill haze. Looks very nice.

M - Goes down light, crisp, and smooth, with good frothiness, and light herbal hop bitterness. Finishes bready and dry. High carbonation.

Overall, an interesting, appealing, light, and flavorful beer from New Belgium, though maybe not what I would call "sessionable", it has definitely caught my attention and is something I would have again if it were available to me. Recommended.